Olopatadine hydrochloride [(Z)-11-(3-dimethylaminopropylidene)-6,11-dihydrodibenz[b,e]oxepin-2-acetic acid hydrochloride], of formula
is a selective antagonist of H1 receptors of histamine, which is used in the treatment of ocular symptoms typical of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis. It is also used in the symptomatic treatment of allergic rhinitis and of urticaria as well as in the treatment of eczema and dermatitis. Olopatadine hydrochloride can be administered in a solid oral pharmaceutical dosage form or as an ophthalmic solution.
Olopatadine and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof are described in patents EP 214779, U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,865, EP 235796 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,863. Patent EP 214779 describes two general processes for the production of Olopatadine, one of them involving a Wittig reaction and the other a Grignard reaction followed by a dehydration step.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,863 describes the production of Olopatadine hydrochloride by several different processes, two of which include a Grignard reaction for introducing the side chain in position 11 and a third process (called “Process C” in said patent) in which said side chain is introduced in position 11 by means of a Wittig reaction. In a specific embodiment (Example 9), the Wittig reaction is performed on the 6,11-dihydro-1′-oxodibenz[b,e]oxepin-2-acetic acid (3) substrate, also known as Isoxepac, which is reacted with (3-dimethylaminopropyl)-triphenylphosphonium bromide hydrobromide, in the presence of n-butyl lithium giving rise to a Z/E mixture of Olopatadine together with salts of phosphorus which, after purifying by means of transforming it into the methyl ester of Olopatadine (2) and subsequent hydrolysis, provides Olopatadine hydrochloride (1), as shown in reaction scheme 1.

In the process shown in reaction scheme 1, the Wittig reagent [(Ph)3P+(CH2)3N(Me)2Br−HBr] is used in excess of up to 5 equivalents per equivalent of Isoxepac (3), a dangerous reagent (n-butyl lithium) is used; the process is very long and includes a number of extractions, changes of pH, in addition to esterification and subsequent saponification, the process therefore having very low yields and being rather expensive. The Z/E isomer ratio obtained in said process is not described.
Ohshima E., et al., in J. Med. Chem., 1992, 35:2074-2084 (designated inventors in U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,863) describe several methods for synthesizing Olopatadine hydrochloride and other compounds of similar structure by means of Grignard reactions in some cases, and by means of Wittig reactions in other cases, for introducing the side chain (3-dimethylaminopropylidene). Following the synthetic scheme shown in reaction scheme 1, they start from type (3) compounds with free carboxylic acid and use (i) as base, n-butyl lithium, in a ratio relative to the type (3) compound of 7.5 equivalents of base/equivalent of type (3) compound and (ii) as Wittig reagent, (3-dimethylaminopropyl)-triphenylphosphonium bromide hydrobromide, in a ratio relative to the type (3) compound of 4.9 equivalents of the Wittig reagent/equivalent of type (3) compound. Once the Wittig reaction is carried out, in order to be able to better isolate the products, the acid is subsequently esterified; thus, and after purification by means of column chromatography, the obtained Z/E isomer ratio is 2:1. In said article, the authors (page 2077) acknowledge that when they try to perform this same Wittig reaction starting from a type (3) compound having an ester group instead of a carboxylic acid, the reaction does not occur and the starting material is recovered without reacting. This process has several drawbacks since it needs large amounts both of the Wittig reagent and of the base, n-butyl lithium (dangerous reagent, as already mentioned), it needs esterification, column purification, saponification and purification again, whereby the global process is not efficient.
Application WO 2006/010459 describes obtaining Olopatadine hydrochloride by means of a process in which a Wittig reaction is also performed but, this time, on an open substrate with final cyclization to form oxepin by means of Pd catalyst as can be seen in reaction scheme 2.

The process shown in reaction scheme 2 has several drawbacks: high number of synthesis steps, the use of palladium catalysts which increase the cost of the process, the obtained Z/E isomer ratio is only 2.5:1 in favor of the Z isomer, and, finally, the need of using ionic exchange resins and chromatography columns, together with the use of dangerous reagents such as lithium aluminium hydride, n-butyl lithium or Jones reagent, make the process unfeasible on an industrial scale.
Application US2007/0232814 describes obtaining Olopatadine hydrochloride by means of a process which includes a Wittig reaction between Isoxepac (3) and the corresponding Wittig reagent [(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-triphenylphosphonium halides or salts thereof], using as base sodium hydride (NaH), whereby obtaining Olopatadine base which, after subsequent formation of an addition salt (essential for the production and isolation of the product of interest) and purification, yields Olopatadine hydrochloride (1), as shown in reaction scheme 3.

In the process shown in scheme 3, the amounts of Wittig reagent and of base used are very high since when the Wittig reagent is used in the form of salt 2.7 equivalents and 8.1 equivalents of base (NaH) are used, whereas if the free Wittig reagent is used 2.7 equivalents and 4.0 equivalents of base (NaH) are used. In these conditions, the reaction is very long (it can last more than one day) and the obtained Z/E isomer ratio is only 2.3:1, which results in a relatively low final yield and makes subsequent purification necessary. This process is, in addition, slow and tedious, therefore it is not very attractive from the industrial point of view.
It is therefore necessary to develop an alternative process for obtaining Olopatadine hydrochloride which overcomes all or part of the problems associated to the processes known in the state of the art.